Anonymous
02/23/2026 11:03
Subject: Wake
Wake was traditionally where upper crust Carolina families sent flunkies who could not get into Duke or UNC. It has become a desired oos option for similar families outside the Carolinas. So much so that they actually want in state applicants and offer great aid to those who quality in state.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 11:01
Subject: Re:Wake
Campus is very suburban. If the country club vibe is your DCs scene, they may like it.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 10:57
Subject: Wake
wake is the smallest school in a power 4 conference so if sports are important but kid wants a smaller school- Wake is a good option.
The campus is very nice and kids seem happy
The campus is very nice and kids seem happy
Anonymous
02/23/2026 10:54
Subject: Wake
Emory mom back again.
Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 10:46
Subject: Wake
Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh. [/quote
It’s definitely a far harder admit instate NC than UNC, which is a mixed bag with instate admissions. Also draws 20 percent of the class from NC.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 10:34
Subject: Wake
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Great school! We visited last February after seeing Duke and loved it.
Beautiful campus, rigorous academics, good school spirit, and seemingly active and happy kids (we did more research before/after our visit and talked with families we know.)
If weather is important to you, that will be a plus. Warmer and sunnier than the NE, obviously. More development happening immediately off-campus, and W-S has restaurants etc. and is a very short Uber from campus.
A friend said it reminds him of Duke in the 90s. Classic work hard / play hard environment with good balance. Economic diversity is improving but has a way to go still (tilts a bit more wealthy than peer schools.)
I think they value DI quite a bit. It's worth the effort to visit.
I know several Duke alums whose kids are there - heard the exact same thing. Part of it was honestly that the kids couldn't get into Duke. But part of it is that Duke is now much more intense than it used to be while Wake remains a happier place while still being rigorous academically. Poster above was correct that the job opportunities aren't what they are at Duke, but Wake alums are still very successful and your child will be fine.
I'm the PP. Glad to hear it! (And no shame about not getting into Duke these days. It's insane and legacy no longer helps, which feels right to me.)
Not to threadjack but Duke legacy still helps a bit but it has to be ED. Duke has among the most loyal alums out there so they just get tons of legacy apps, and can't have a class that is just legacies. But to the point above, I know more and more Duke alums who are saying that this isn't the school that I went to and loved, so perhaps my child should go elsewhere.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 10:24
Subject: Wake
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Great school! We visited last February after seeing Duke and loved it.
Beautiful campus, rigorous academics, good school spirit, and seemingly active and happy kids (we did more research before/after our visit and talked with families we know.)
If weather is important to you, that will be a plus. Warmer and sunnier than the NE, obviously. More development happening immediately off-campus, and W-S has restaurants etc. and is a very short Uber from campus.
A friend said it reminds him of Duke in the 90s. Classic work hard / play hard environment with good balance. Economic diversity is improving but has a way to go still (tilts a bit more wealthy than peer schools.)
I think they value DI quite a bit. It's worth the effort to visit.
I know several Duke alums whose kids are there - heard the exact same thing. Part of it was honestly that the kids couldn't get into Duke. But part of it is that Duke is now much more intense than it used to be while Wake remains a happier place while still being rigorous academically. Poster above was correct that the job opportunities aren't what they are at Duke, but Wake alums are still very successful and your child will be fine.
I'm the PP. Glad to hear it! (And no shame about not getting into Duke these days. It's insane and legacy no longer helps, which feels right to me.)
Anonymous
02/23/2026 10:20
Subject: Wake
Anonymous wrote:Great school! We visited last February after seeing Duke and loved it.
Beautiful campus, rigorous academics, good school spirit, and seemingly active and happy kids (we did more research before/after our visit and talked with families we know.)
If weather is important to you, that will be a plus. Warmer and sunnier than the NE, obviously. More development happening immediately off-campus, and W-S has restaurants etc. and is a very short Uber from campus.
A friend said it reminds him of Duke in the 90s. Classic work hard / play hard environment with good balance. Economic diversity is improving but has a way to go still (tilts a bit more wealthy than peer schools.)
I think they value DI quite a bit. It's worth the effort to visit.
I know several Duke alums whose kids are there - heard the exact same thing. Part of it was honestly that the kids couldn't get into Duke. But part of it is that Duke is now much more intense than it used to be while Wake remains a happier place while still being rigorous academically. Poster above was correct that the job opportunities aren't what they are at Duke, but Wake alums are still very successful and your child will be fine.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 10:17
Subject: Wake
Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.
Sorry all of our children can't be geniuses like yours. I'm glad they clearly have more tact, class and humility than you. FFS.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 10:16
Subject: Wake
Great school! We visited last February after seeing Duke and loved it.
Beautiful campus, rigorous academics, good school spirit, and seemingly active and happy kids (we did more research before/after our visit and talked with families we know.)
If weather is important to you, that will be a plus. Warmer and sunnier than the NE, obviously. More development happening immediately off-campus, and W-S has restaurants etc. and is a very short Uber from campus.
A friend said it reminds him of Duke in the 90s. Classic work hard / play hard environment with good balance. Economic diversity is improving but has a way to go still (tilts a bit more wealthy than peer schools.)
I think they value DI quite a bit. It's worth the effort to visit.
Beautiful campus, rigorous academics, good school spirit, and seemingly active and happy kids (we did more research before/after our visit and talked with families we know.)
If weather is important to you, that will be a plus. Warmer and sunnier than the NE, obviously. More development happening immediately off-campus, and W-S has restaurants etc. and is a very short Uber from campus.
A friend said it reminds him of Duke in the 90s. Classic work hard / play hard environment with good balance. Economic diversity is improving but has a way to go still (tilts a bit more wealthy than peer schools.)
I think they value DI quite a bit. It's worth the effort to visit.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 09:43
Subject: Wake
Anonymous wrote:Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.
From a prestige perspective it’s definitely above Lehigh. At least in our circle.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 09:40
Subject: Wake
Wake is for those who want the “south,” but can’t cut it at Vandy, Emory, Duke, UNC, and UVA. It is like Lehigh. Meh.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 09:14
Subject: Wake
I think the trend is that Wake is unquestionably in the shadow of Duke and Vandy but more at parity with Emory. Emory plays games with ED and their Oxford campus to juice the numbers a bit (but not the masterclass in number-cooking featured by Northeastern).
Wake is increasingly popular from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast which is have a self-perpetuating positive impact on popularity.
The positives are that it’s a beautiful self-contained country club-like campus. The downside is that it’s a beautiful self-contained country club-like campus. The development of the area around the arena and stadium will help with off campus life a bit which has been a knock.
Wake is increasingly popular from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast which is have a self-perpetuating positive impact on popularity.
The positives are that it’s a beautiful self-contained country club-like campus. The downside is that it’s a beautiful self-contained country club-like campus. The development of the area around the arena and stadium will help with off campus life a bit which has been a knock.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 09:10
Subject: Wake
Wake is coming up in the world. It is still slightly below those schools but I have heard that it is a "happier" place - the other schools have become so popular that they are pressure cookers. Wake is more chill while still being academically rigorous.
If your child's goal is a top tier bank or MBB consulting it will be a challenge, particularly compared to the others, but if they want to have a good four years of college and still have plenty of great potential outcomes, Wake is a nice option.
If your child's goal is a top tier bank or MBB consulting it will be a challenge, particularly compared to the others, but if they want to have a good four years of college and still have plenty of great potential outcomes, Wake is a nice option.
Anonymous
02/23/2026 09:06
Subject: Wake
What are the major strengths of Wake? Why is it in the shadow of Vandy, Duke, and Emory?